Community Preservation Committee

The FY2027 CPA Initial Eligibility Project Application Is Now Available

The Community Preservation Committee's FY2027 Initial Eligibility Application is available HERE. Completed applications should be submitted no later than November 1, 2025 for a project to be considered for the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting.  

More detailed information about the CPA application process can be found HERE.

If you have questions about applying for CPA funding or require assistance to complete your application, please contact Lauren Spinney (lspinney@needhamma.gov) or Michelle Provencal-Jones (mprovencal-jones@needhamma.gov).

Community Preservation Act

Established under M.G.L. c. 44B, the Community Preservation Act (CPA) allows Massachusetts cities and towns to raise funds through a surcharge on local real estate taxes.  These funds can be used to:

• Acquire, Create & Preserve Open Space;
• Acquire, Create, Preserve & Restore Historic Resources;
• Acquire, Create, Preserve & Support Community Housing; and 
• Acquire, Create, Preserve & Restore Outdoor Recreational Facilities.

Adoption

Needham voters adopted the legislation at the November 2, 2004 Election with a 2% surcharge on real estate property tax bills with two exemptions: 

1. the first $100,000 of taxable value of residential real property; and
2. residential property owned and occupied by any person who qualifies for low income housing, or low-moderate income senior housing.

Fund Delegation

The CPA requires the Town to spend, or set aside for future spending, a minimum of 10% of annual CPA revenues for each of the three core community concerns: open space, historic preservation and community housing. The remaining 70% can be allocated for any combination of the allowed uses, or for recreational projects. Up to 5% may be allocated for administrative expenses. 

This gives each community the opportunity to determine its priorities for public benefit, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen.